English Literature

Course summary

The A Level Students follow the AQA Specification for English Literature, which is a two-year course. Students study and respond to a variety of texts; novels, poetry, drama, including modern and pre-20th Century Literature. Texts are grouped by theme, ‘Love through the Ages’ and ‘WW1 and its Aftermath’. We study the war unit in Year 12 after a short transition unit designed to ease students into the demands of the course where they are shown how to read closely, understand that the text is a construct and adopt a critical debate to respond to questions. Towards the end of Year 12, we embark on the coursework unit – the comparison of two texts. Although the essay is 2500 words, it should be succinctly capture a student’s insight into the themes, style and character of both texts. We teach one text in class to support this unit, and this year we have taught Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge. Students have free choice of a second worthy text for comparison. Themes explored in this unit include, freedom and imprisonment, justice, the gothic to name a few. An essential requirement of the course is an aptitude for independent study and thought. For each theme, students must read and study one play, one prose piece and one collection of poetry. There is an unseen element in both examinations and this really does test a student’s skills. In lessons, students are expected to take an active part, working individually, in pairs or in small groups on reading for meaning, presentations, debates and discussions. Homework tasks will include research, reading, note taking, planning and re-visiting essays to improve their skills. Skills developed in this subject therefore, include communication, analysis, evaluation and how to form an argument. Students who study English Literature go on to study a plethora of subjects at university, such as Criminology, History and Law. The challenge of the course prepares students for the workplace by giving them the ability to express their ideas formally, creatively and with well-chosen supporting evidence.